Source : Bruno Quinney

gainst the gloominess of a grey October afternoon , Cotham Hill is lit up by the ultramarine shop front of Panunzio ’ s . Parents with pushchairs , pensioners and students wander in , lured by the warm hue and the temptation of something sweet .

Daniele Panunzio emerges from the whirr of churning machines – when he is not in his office , he lends a hand scooping spheres of sugary perfection into cones . “ This is gelato ,” he points out , “ not ice cream ! Ice cream is a different product .”

A cluster of customers builds up in the doorway , drawn in by the fridge of velvety cakes and now mulling over which flavours of gelato they want . Panunzio ’ s does not rely on seasonal trade – it is busy all year round – and the window plastered with awards is testament to the quality of product Daniele is offering . In September , Panunzio ’ s was crowned the Best Dessert Shop in Bristol at the English Business Awards .

Panunzio ’ s first opened its doors in July 2022 but it is hard to believe that opening a gelateria was not Daniele ’ s initial plan . “ The business was open a year and half before as a kitchen not open to the public , supplying some delis , restaurants

Source : Bruno Quinney

and attending food markets in Bristol . Some people were begging us , ‘ please open up a shop in Bristol !’ So we made the big jump .”

Now , Panunzio ’ s is one of Bristol ’ s mostloved spots . “[ Bristol ] is a wonderful city with a beautiful community ,” he says . “ We ’ ve received endless support from so many people who love our products and continue to support us .” It is no surprise that Panunzio ’ s has been so successful , with Daniele ’ s expertise in gelato on show back in Italy when he had two gelaterias . When he decided to move away from Rome , he went to London but settled in Bristol – a choice he says was motivated by finding “ somewhere where it

would be easier to start a young family ”. Daniele ’ s wife , Thary , also helps to run Panunzio ’ s , bringing Bristol a taste of Italy in a cone .

Source : Bruno Quinney

Up the steep stretch of Redland Road in the city ’ s hinterland , a taste of Italy is not served in cones but wrapped hot in tin foil . Vincenzo calls out each lunch order as customers open up their parcels like Christmas presents , revealing thick hunks of bread holding together whichever variation of cured Italian meat , hot tomato sauce and cheese .

Lavender Deli opened in 2015 when Vincenzo and his family moved from

Naples to the UK . Vincenzo balances his studies with working at the family business and Lavender Deli has now become a pillar of the Redland community . The deli is packed with typical Italian products , from biscotti and cornetti to the first panettoni at this time of year . “ What we ’ re trying to create is something more niche , something you can ’ t find in the supermarket . We try to find as many unique products as possible .”

Family is a buzzword for another Italian business in Bristol : Taste of Napoli . The owner , a 26-year-old Ciro , has been put in charge of running the family business after it was set up in 2017 . “ I arrived [ in Bristol ] in 2014 , I did A-Levels , and we opened up a toy shop . But it was a bit difficult because of competition . Then , after a couple of years , we had the chance to get this [ premises ] and we decided to open up [ Taste of Napoli ].”

In the upstairs seating area , customers are swept up by an Italian atmosphere , as Italian rap blurs out on the speakers and the walls show floor to ceiling images of Italy . Taste of Napoli idealises la dolce vita , but Ciro says coming to the UK

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